PROTECTION OF MATERNITY. 
11 
Senator McKellar. I do not think that it could be done. 
Mrs. Kilbreth. Do you realize that there are a great many physi 
cians who are against this bill ? Dr. Swain, the head of the Lying- 
in Hospital of Boston, and various doctors who are connected with 
the Johns Hopkins University, are not in favor of this bill, and they 
would be here, but they have not been given the time to make their 
appearance. You must remember one thing about this bill, that it 
has not had sufficient publicity. The papers have been very reticent 
about it. It really has not been brought to the attention of the 
people very much. A great many may appear to have indorsed it 
who do not know anything about it. Dr. Swain don’t know any 
thing about it, for instance, and he has not had an opportunity to 
come here. , „ . „ . , ... 
The Chairman. It has not had publicity ? x ou knew this bill 
was before Congress yourself, did you not ? 
Senator McKellar. Why, I have got more letters about tins than 
I have about any other bill before Congress. . 
Mrs. Kilbreth. We consider that there is really humanitarian 
beneficent part of the bill, but there is a socialistic part of the bill, 
and it has been admitted that it was half socialistic, and we think 
that the socialistic part of the bill ought to be eliminated. 
The Chairman. Do you know how many babies die in the United 
States every year through the lack of proper treatment ? 
Mrs. Kilbreth. No, I do not know anything about it. I under 
stand about the mothers—that was taken up by Senator Thomas on 
the floor of the Senate at some length, and he said that he understood 
that while conditions were very deplorable, still it was but normal. 
The Chairman. And do yoii know how many mothers die because 
of the lack of proper treatment % 
Mrs. Kilbreth. The only figures I have been able to get were those 
of Senator Thomas, as I say, but I am not here to talk on that part 
of the question at all. 
Senator Shortridge. I submit that there should be ample oppor 
tunity given to others who desire to place their views before the com 
mittee, and it seems to me that it is only proper to have the people 
come before the committee and to give them an opportunity to pre 
sent their views before this committee reports on the bill. 
Mrs. Kilbreth. I have asked several women down in my part of 
the country, at Hampton, Long Island, if they would welcome these 
political investigators to be sent out, and their answer was that they 
did not want these people to come snooping around their homes. 
The Chairman. Do you know that there are 250,000 babies of this 
country lost every year because the mothers do not understand 
the ... . 
Mrs. Kilbreth (interrupting). And I suppose that they will be 
helped by these nontechnical officers % But I do not want to discuss 
the technical part of the bill. 
The Chairman. But that is the socialism that you are talking 
Mrs. Kilbreth. I do not see how the nontechnical officers, being 
political appointees, are going to help. 
The Chairman. Suppose that we did not have the nontechnical 
officers, but we had medical officers, do you think that the social 
istic—-—-